WHY DO PEOPLE EAT BACK THEIR EXERCISE CALS?!

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Replies

  • Forensi
    Forensi Posts: 56 Member
    So since my BMR is like 1700 cal and i want to burn 2lbs a week, i need a defecit of 7000 cals a week (-1000 a day).

    So, MFP sets my food at 1200 (-500 so far) and then i need to burn 500 more a day to meet that -7000 cal a week.

    So why would I eat it back?!?

    With your BMR, did you add in the exercise factor? MFP isn't very good with this component. My BMR is 2000 but my Daily Caloric Needs is 2700 because I exercise 1-3 times per week. So 2700 - 1000 = 1700 which is quite achievable, so if I do that and eat exercise calories I still get to eat wellish and still lose about 1kg (2lb) a week.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    Part of the issue, though, is that while doctors may recommend 1200 or 1500 calories, they likely do with the assumption that one is doing the minimum recommended exercise of about a half hour a day.... NOT with the assumption that people are spending hours in they gym and burning 800-1000 calories.

    If you're eating 1200 calories and walking for a half hour on the treadmill and burning 100 calories, not eating that back isn't that big of a deal.

    If you're eating 1200, and doing an hour of spin class, followed by an hour of zumba, then coming home and doing a DVD and burning 1200 calories... you're going to crash and burn.

    People also hear a phrase like, "You have to burn more than you eat," and don't take into account the calories your body is burning every minute of every day. They think they if they eat 1200 calories, they need to burn 1200 calories through exercise alone. But the body is already burning more than 1200 calories a day, before you even tie your shoelaces.

    I like this and agree. Unfortunately many machines AND this site overestimates teh calorie burn of many exercises. When I work out 2 hours a day, I feel satisfied with 1500 calories, but I stay in a range of 1200 - 1700 a day depending on how I feel. If you are shaky and drained, you are not getting enough. You want energy to be able to work out AND still function AND lose weight.
  • Caitlinhappymeal
    Caitlinhappymeal Posts: 185 Member
    I just DO NOT get it!! You spend an hour in the gym working off burning 600 cal and then you just eat them back???
    Why would you eat even a LITTLE back??

    I thought the point was to burn these calories. WHY does MFP then add them to your food?!

    This is a joke that you are asking this question right? Either you haven't read the other zillionth posts on this subject or you must be a troll.....
  • happythermia
    happythermia Posts: 374
    HONGRY
  • artickb22
    artickb22 Posts: 411 Member
    I only do it if I'm still hungry. I'm not in this to starve myself so if I'm still hungry (not just wanting to eat- but actually hungry) then I'll eat back some trying to stick to protein and/or fiber. Or i will sometimes if I'm just really craving something but only rarely will I treat myself like that.

    Most important thing: listen to your body, it will guide you.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    HONGRY


    :laugh: :bigsmile: :laugh:
  • cathomer
    cathomer Posts: 88
    I think aiming to lose 2lbs a week when you're not that overweight isn't healthy, you need calories to fuel your body, you'll burn out if you're not eating enough, and your body won't put on so much muscle either as it will just need the energy to fuel your body, so that's why you eat them back. The exercise is about toning up and getting fit more than anything, if you don't refuel afterwards it can't get as much of the benefit from it.
  • RoseAsRose
    RoseAsRose Posts: 39
    bump to read later - i had the same q today
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Why won't this topic Die. Look if you want to eat them back and that works for you, Go for it, if you don't eat them back and that works for you Go For It!! Can we stop dictating what others should do with their bodies.

    Welcome to the forums!
  • McGruber03
    McGruber03 Posts: 113 Member
    Because MFP already figures in a reasonable to high calorie deficit when you choose your weight loss goals. If you are shooting to lose 2lbs/wk, and you don't eat back exercise calories, your deficit becomes higher than well established safe limits. You can only lose so much fat in a day, so pushing the boundaries means your additional weight loss beyond a reasonable deficit is going to come from your muscle mass. Not a good choice.

    NOT TRUE, you won't start using muscle until your below 6% body fat.

    Reference?
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I don't eat back mine. I burn between 500-800 a day and eat 1200 calories. My nutritionist told me not to eat more than 1200 a day, so I try not to :)

    ^^^^ same with me :-) A nutritionist and a doctor. Of course if I ever get really hungry or feel weak or need some extra energy for a work out I might add a few calories but I usually don't need to. It works for me, eating them back doesn't.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    So since my BMR is like 1700 cal and i want to burn 2lbs a week, i need a defecit of 7000 cals a week (-1000 a day).

    So, MFP sets my food at 1200 (-500 so far) and then i need to burn 500 more a day to meet that -7000 cal a week.

    So why would I eat it back?!?

    You need a deficit of 500 from your TDEE, not your BMR. Your TDEE is all of your activity, breathing, heart beating, thinking, sitting, walking, exercise, digestion, etc. Your BMR is basically you in a coma... I hope that helps.
  • gkwatra
    gkwatra Posts: 431 Member
    Part of the issue, though, is that while doctors may recommend 1200 or 1500 calories, they likely do with the assumption that one is doing the minimum recommended exercise of about a half hour a day.... NOT with the assumption that people are spending hours in they gym and burning 800-1000 calories.

    If you're eating 1200 calories and walking for a half hour on the treadmill and burning 100 calories, not eating that back isn't that big of a deal.

    If you're eating 1200, and doing an hour of spin class, followed by an hour of zumba, then coming home and doing a DVD and burning 1200 calories... you're going to crash and burn.

    People also hear a phrase like, "You have to burn more than you eat," and don't take into account the calories your body is burning every minute of every day. They think they if they eat 1200 calories, they need to burn 1200 calories through exercise alone. But the body is already burning more than 1200 calories a day, before you even tie your shoelaces.

    I like this and agree. Unfortunately many machines AND this site overestimates teh calorie burn of many exercises. When I work out 2 hours a day, I feel satisfied with 1500 calories, but I stay in a range of 1200 - 1700 a day depending on how I feel. If you are shaky and drained, you are not getting enough. You want energy to be able to work out AND still function AND lose weight.

    Yes - I had to up my intake a little since I was feeling drained much of the time and was burning out like nobody's business. I was also hungry most of the time. That seems to work for me ...
  • MorganLeighRN
    MorganLeighRN Posts: 411 Member
    Because MFP already creates a deficit for you. You technically don't need to exercise to lose weight. But you do need to fuel your body and not create a too large deficit that can be harmful and dangerous.

    Agree! I usually don't eat back my calories unless I do a long run. When I did my half marathon (I burnt over 1400 cals) I ate back around 200 cals.
  • mikeyh7
    mikeyh7 Posts: 1
    Dont eat your calories back for a couple of weeks measure your progress, then eat them back so you are hitting your 1200 for the same period and measure again see what works for you.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I burned close to 1000 calories last night in a triathlon, so I should have eaten like a bird, right?
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
    Because you'll die.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    I just DO NOT get it!! You spend an hour in the gym working off burning 600 cal and then you just eat them back???
    Why would you eat even a LITTLE back??

    I thought the point was to burn these calories. WHY does MFP then add them to your food?!

    This is a joke that you are asking this question right? Either you haven't read the other zillionth posts on this subject or you must be a troll.....

    This.All.Day.
  • dkoroschetz
    dkoroschetz Posts: 67 Member
    Because if you don't eat them back it creates a deficit too large for your body to handle, which is the same thing as not working out and not eating at all. SMH... :noway:

    Edited...

    As one of my spin instructors once said... after working your body this hard for an entire hour you NEED to eat within 1-2 hours or your body will basically start eating itself.

    I worked out with my trainer for an hour and then stayed for an additional hour for his boot camp class. My HRM says I burned 908 cals....I ate dinner afterwards and I was pretty hungry. But I didn't consume all of the calories burned, I don't think I possibly could have. But I do agree that I'm starving after difficult workouts and I don't want my body to eat itself :)
  • nicknjamie1
    nicknjamie1 Posts: 11 Member
    I am not sure how you are figuring your caloric needs. But to function daily I need 2500 calories. Which means I can eat 17500 calories a week and maintain my weight. But I choose to eat only 1500 calories a day which will cut 7000 calories a week from my diet which equals 2 pds. of fat a week. Although the website only gives me 1200 a day I can eat my exercise calories up to 1500 calories and still lose 2 pounds a week.
  • amberecochran
    amberecochran Posts: 124 Member
    I'm going to say the same thing that a lot of people on here have said already. It's different for everyone. If NOT eating back your calories works for you, do that. If eating back the calories works better, do that. For me, I eat back some of my calories and I am losing the weight faster and building muscle. Building muscle burns fat faster.
  • Schraudt814
    Schraudt814 Posts: 496 Member
    Everyone is different- do what works for you why do you care if anyone eats back their exercise calories? I try to eat around half of mine- if i don't, I don't get enough calories and I'm sluggish and occasionally find myself running to the cookie jar to get some sugar in me before I pass out, which is counterproductive. you eat what you want and let everyone else live their lives. If you only want people on your FL that don't eat them back, so be it. :flowerforyou:
  • doonesbury
    doonesbury Posts: 281 Member
    I dont get it either!

    I am SO over this EAT MORE crap!

    Eating more is what made us all fat in the first place!

    Some days I net negative calories.

    But if I am not hungry, I am not eating!

    I am 35 pounds and a boat load of inches down since January 2012.

    I have not felt this great in many years!

    See profile pic and judge for yourself if I am "starving" or losing muscle.
  • Zichu
    Zichu Posts: 542 Member
    One thing might work for one person, but it might not work for someone else.

    I'm currently at 127lb, I was 124lb. I am trying to gain weight for bulking up and then I will cut to lower my body fat and still lift.

    My TDEE was apparently only 1800 calories, I decided to up my calories to 2000 and wasn't gaining. I upped it to 2200, I actually lost a pound. I upped it again and I am currently eating 2630 and am gaining slowly.

    This amount works for me, it's not too much for me to handle, but it's enough to keep me going throughout the day.


    Also, just because it's working for you, doesn't mean it's healthy at all. Going negative doesn't seem healthy at all and I wouldn't recommend it, a lot of people on here wouldn't recommend it and neither would your doctor, dietician, etc.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Because MFP, unlike most calorie counting websites, doesn't include the exercise you SAY you'll do into your calorie goal. It doesn't matter if you say you're going to sit on your *kitten* 7 days a week, or run a marathon every day, MFP will give you the same base calories. Surely you understand that someone who exercises a lot needs more fuel than someone who doesn't?

    When I just cut calories, when I believed that creating a large deficit was all it took to get the body I wanted, I lost weight, but too much of that weight was my lean body mass... my muscle. By "eating my exercise calories," I was able to maintain a moderate deficit, which allowed me to retain most of my lean mass and lose mostly body fat.

    What that means in terms everyone can understand... The jeans on the bottom are the size 8 jeans I wore at 130 pounds about 5-6 years ago when I didn't eat enough, and the top pair is the size 5 jeans I'm wearing NOW, eating my exercise calories, at about 135-138 pounds. (Typically a 2 or 4 in misses.)

    IMG_3265.jpg

    Here's me at about 130 pounds 5-6 years ago, and me at 133 pounds in February.

    five-years-later.jpg

    Then I still had a muffin top, back fat rolls, double chin, and cellulite out the wazzo. Now?

    IMG_4850.jpg

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

    You, my friend, are a bad-*kitten* chick! Thanks for posting this and the original link.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Why won't this topic Die. Look if you want to eat them back and that works for you, Go for it, if you don't eat them back and that works for you Go For It!! Can we stop dictating what others should do with their bodies.

    You resemble Holly Robinson Peete. :smile:
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I dont get it either!

    I am SO over this EAT MORE crap!

    Eating more is what made us all fat in the first place!

    Some days I net negative calories.

    But if I am not hungry, I am not eating!

    I am 35 pounds and a boat load of inches down since January 2012.

    I have not felt this great in many years!

    See profile pic and judge for yourself if I am "starving" or losing muscle.

    Hunger is hormonal.
    You still may not be getting the proper nutrition.

    I dont get how people are okay giving their bodies the bare minimum because they dont understand basic physiology.

    You need to give fat a reason not to exist.
    Eating negative calories gives it a big reason to exist.
    And the next time it has a chance its going to build itself back up.
  • doonesbury
    doonesbury Posts: 281 Member
    I dont get it either!

    I am SO over this EAT MORE crap!

    Eating more is what made us all fat in the first place!

    Some days I net negative calories.

    But if I am not hungry, I am not eating!

    I am 35 pounds and a boat load of inches down since January 2012.

    I have not felt this great in many years!

    See profile pic and judge for yourself if I am "starving" or losing muscle.

    Hunger is hormonal.
    You still may not be getting the proper nutrition.

    I dont get how people are okay giving their bodies the bare minimum because they dont understand basic physiology.

    You need to give fat a reason not to exist.
    Eating negative calories gives it a big reason to exist.
    And the next time it has a chance its going to build itself back up.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    Why won't this topic Die. Look if you want to eat them back and that works for you, Go for it, if you don't eat them back and that works for you Go For It!! Can we stop dictating what others should do with their bodies.


    Ahhhhh...the voice of reason...
  • doonesbury
    doonesbury Posts: 281 Member
    I dont get it either!

    I am SO over this EAT MORE crap!

    Eating more is what made us all fat in the first place!

    Some days I net negative calories.

    But if I am not hungry, I am not eating!

    I am 35 pounds and a boat load of inches down since January 2012.

    I have not felt this great in many years!

    See profile pic and judge for yourself if I am "starving" or losing muscle.

    Hunger is hormonal.
    You still may not be getting the proper nutrition.

    I dont get how people are okay giving their bodies the bare minimum because they dont understand basic physiology.

    You need to give fat a reason not to exist.
    Eating negative calories gives it a big reason to exist.
    And the next time it has a chance its going to build itself back up.


    LOL thanks for your opinion.

    Ima keep mine.

    Good luck on YOUR journey!

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